I feel like more and more people are realizing that sexuality is fluid and that few people are either 100% heterosexual or 100% homosexual, and it seems like that opinion is pretty close to reality. In fact, a new Gallup poll of 15,000 American adults over the age of 18 has discovered that more Americans identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community than ever before in documented history.
- Roughly 5.6% of the US population identifies as LGBTQ+. While it may seem a relatively small portion of the US population, the fact that 5.6% of Americans identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community is pretty interesting, especially since that number was previously at 4.5% in the last poll taken in 2017. When the survey began in 2011, that number was only 3.5%.
- Of the 5.6%, most Americans identify as bisexual. Of those who answered the poll as part of the LGBTQ+ community, 54.6% said they identify as bisexual while 24.5% identify as gay, 11.7% as lesbian, and 11.3% as transgender. Further, 3.3% of respondents in the LGBTQ+ category identified under a different term such as queer or same-gender-loving.
- Gen Z had the highest number of LGBTQ+ respondents. Those born between 1997 and 2002 made up 15.9% of the LGBTQ+ respondents in the poll, with Millennials coming in at 9.1%, Gen Xers at 3.8%, Boomers at 2%, and Traditionalists, or those born before 1946, at 1.3%. “One of the main reasons LGBT identification has been increasing over time is that younger generations are far more likely to consider themselves to be something other than heterosexual,” Gallup said of the findings.
- Even more Americans may be LGBTQ+ than they realize or are willing to admit. Of the 15,000 Americans polled, 8.7% declined to answer the question about their sexual orientation and 5% said they had “no opinion.” That means it’s very likely that those who identify as something other than straight (86.7%) is an even higher percentage.
- The LGBTQ+ community is strong and thriving. “This poll confirms what we have long known – that the LGBTQ community is powerful and a growing force in the United States, and around the world,” said Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David in a statement. “Young adults, in particular, feel empowered to publicly claim their identities – a compelling finding and validation for the past generations of LGBTQ advocates who have long fought for full equality.”
